26 per cent decline in the supply of some of the main crops as record-high temperatures and a lack of rainfall ravages output. In its monthly report published on Thursday (26 August), Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada noted that by the end of last month, nearly three quarters of the country’s agricultural area was abnormally dry or in a drought. As a result, grain and oilseed exports from the world’s biggest canola grower are expected to decrease in the marketing year that started on 1 August.
According to the report, this year, the North American nation is expected to harvest 71.8 million metric tons of all principal field crops, which amounts to a 27 per cent decline from 2020-21. Meanwhile, experts project total supplies to drop to 85.4 million tons, while inventories will decline by 36 per cent to 6.7 million tons.
In late-July, Statistics Canada also outlined the incredibly harsh impact the record-breaking temperatures are having on crop outputs across farms, particularly in Western Canada, as the agency cited several reports detailing declining crop conditions amid the record drought.
According to the report, Alberta reported that only 36.6 per cent of crops were in “good to excellent” condition, a noteworthy decline from the 74.1 per cent five-year average. On the other hand, the province of Saskatchewan said that the “majority” of its crops were rated in poor to good condition, while Manitoba reported that its crop, hay and pasture conditions were all deteriorating.
